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Kentucky Horse Group Pushes for Casino Amendment

KENTUCKY – As reported by the Cincinnati Enquirer: "Kentucky legislators have already proven to be a tough sell on the notion of legalized casino gambling.

"Gambling advocates have lobbied lawmakers for more than a decade to allow casinos, or at the very least put the issue before the voters. Yet bills filed in the last three legislative sessions have never even made it as far as a committee vote.

"Throw in the anticipated partisan acrimony fueled by the investigation into the hiring practices of Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration, and it appears the 2006 legislative session would be a difficult time to continue the casino push.

"That's not stopping the horse industry.

"The Kentucky Equine Education Project, or KEEP, recently rolled out its call for the Legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot. If approved, the state's eight race tracks could open casinos.

"That could mean a $200 million full-blown casino - table games, slots, restaurants, entertainment and more - at Florence's Turfway Park and $400 million in new tax revenue for a state sorely lacking in cash.

"…The horse industry is also going to face a fight, as it has in the past, from lawmakers and developers who favor a mix of casinos at race tracks - a gambling industry hybrid known as a racino - and free-standing, land-based casinos in places like Northern Kentucky, Owensboro and south central Kentucky…"

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